got caught up in the excitement of an auction...

[aaashley]

I purchased 18 araucana hatching eggs. I dont know anything about them before they reached my hands. How they were cared for, when they were laid, etc...All I know is that I was excited and bought them before i even thought about it. I'm not posting this to be abused for my poor choice. I am already aware that I'm a fool. I'm posting this looking for some guidance so that I don't kill my chicks.
I have raised chicks before, just not eggs. I don't have an incubator and of course everything was closed yesterday and again today. I have them in a pail lined with tin foil (hoping to catch more heat) on top of rags and I placed a mason jar of water in there as well. Above I have a heat lamp hanging.

Also, it did take me 4.5 hours to get home. Are my birds hopeless? If I am able to find an incubator can I start using it or would it be best to leave them alone now?

Thoughts?

 

[zoe95423]

Honestly, the eggs can set without being incubated for a week or so... It takes a hen anywhere from a weekand up to get all her eggs and start sitting.
You should have left them in their carton in a cool place until you had what you needed.
Putting them in heat, that is not high enough, could potentially kill them or just make them go rotten. They need to be at 99.5 steady temperature.
Had you just waited, and kept them in their carton in a cool dry place, you might of had a good hatch rate.
That being said, I'm not sure how it will go, get your incubator a.s.a.p. Until then google and look on here about incubating chicks and learn as much as you can! There might still be a chance. I'm not sure how warm your eggs are in the way you have them, if they're only around room temperature, you'll be even better off.
Good luck, and do as much research as you can.

 

[Susan10]

Don't give up! The latest eggs I ordered were shipped, delayed in shipping several days, then sat in my community office unturned over the weekend because the package was too big for my maillbox and they didn't call me to let me know my package was left in the office, and the office was closed all weekend. When I finally got them, most had damaged air cells, but I set them anyway, and all but one were fertile, and the rest developed and are due to hatch in a few days. So don't be discouraged. Definitely set them ASAP in an incubator and candle in 8 days, then again in 10. Read everything you can so you know how to incubate, and try to take pictures of candling so the folks here can help you determine their viability. Good luck, and I'm praying my hatch goes well too!

 

[WalnutHill]

Agreed. Without an incubator or a broody hen, the chances of a hatch are very slim. What you have there may or may not carry them through for the first couple of days, but you NEED an incubator. Get one as soon as you can, get it set up and to temperature, and get the eggs transferred over.

With Araucana eggs you should be able to candle them. Many of my Ameraucana eggs I just cannot see through because of the blue+brown = green shells. So keep them in and pick out any that smell or ooze and in three weeks you will find out how they did.

But if you ever put yourself in the situation again, wait until you have the incubator up before setting eggs. I set them aside for a week or ten days with no issues.

 

[aaashley]

Great advice; thank you all. My eggs are light green so I am hopeful that I will be able to candle them in a couple days. I do have them at the appropriate temperature, however the humidity is a concern for me. As soon as I can get my hands on an incubator I will transfer them.

 

[WalnutHill]

Humidity during early incubation is not so critical. You just want to add enough to make up for what is lost in heating the air...in other words keeping about the same relative humidity at the higher temperature as you have in your room at the lower temperature, somewhere between 25-50%. It can vary, too. It's the last three days that are absolutely critical.

If they are light green they aren't Araucana, probably Ameraucana or Easter Egger. Araucana lay pale blue eggs. Crosses with brown egg layers lay various shades of green eggs, from pale aqua to olive to avocado.

 

[aaashley]

Phew about the humidity. Maybe my birds have a shot. And I hope you're right about them maybe being Ameruacana. That's actually what I thought the auctioneer yelled out when I bid on them. My current flock is ISA Brown. I just want to introduce some new breeds.

 

[lazy gardener]

The important thing is to be sure you have an accurate thermometer. I like to use a good medical grade fever thermometer, and then calibrate any others I use to match that one.